OTTAWA — The new United States Ambassador to Canada says developed countries must take responsibility for climate change, but — as a decision looms on the Keystone XL pipeline — he stresses that energy development does not mean sacrificing the environment.

Bruce Heyman was thrown right into a cross-border spat Tuesday on his first official day on the job, as pressure mounts on the White House to make a decision on the controversial Keystone XL oilsands pipeline.

The new ambassador said the Keystone XL project is an important issue to Americans and that the U.S. government is taking its time to make sure the pipeline gets a thorough review.

Heyman wouldn’t comment on whether potential U.S. approval on Keystone might be linked to Canada implementing greenhouse gas regulations for the oil and gas sector.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry — and ultimately President Barack Obama — will make a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline after carefully reviewing all the information deemed necessary, he said.

“That being said, the president has made it clear, as well as the secretary of state: global warming is real. And we all have to be cognizant that it’s real and we’re all affected by it. I think it’s the responsibility of the developed world, in particular, to take responsibility for our climate,” Heyman told reporters Tuesday, after presenting his letters of credence to Gov. Gen. David Johnston at Rideau Hall.

“The United States looks forward to working with the Canadian government and working on these issues, and I look forward to having that discussion with all members of the Canadian government because we take it seriously.”

Heyman said he’s concerned that the discussion around energy development and environmental protection often turns into a debate of one versus the other, when economic development can be achieved while also protecting the environment.

“Everybody is using economy or energy or the environment and you have to position yourself this way. I think that’s the wrong word. I think the word is ‘and,’ and I think today you can be pro-economy and pro-energy and considerate of the environment,” he added.

“And we have to work together to accomplish a strong economy but we have to work together to protect the environment.”

The ambassador met Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday after his stop at the Governor General’s residence, and it was expected Keystone XL would be raised.

Heyman officially launched his term Tuesday as the 23rd United States Ambassador to Canada. The new envoy and his wife, Vicki, recently arrived in Ottawa after he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 12, and sworn in as Obama’s representative to Canada on March 26.

Heyman already has a handful of major cross-border irritants to address, the largest of which is, arguably, the pipeline.

The $5.4-billion TransCanada Keystone XL would transport 830,000 barrels of oil a day, including from Alberta’s oilsands and North Dakota’s Bakken formation, to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

A long-awaited U.S. government environmental study, released in late January, said the pipeline would have no significant impact on the environment or climate change, apparently clearing the way for Obama to approve the project. There is no deadline for a final U.S. decision on a review process, which has dragged on for several years.

Some pipeline supporters, such as Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, have argued the U.S. will probably force the federal government to agree to greenhouse gas emission regulations for Canada’s oil and gas industry before it will approve Keystone.

The Conservative government has for years been promising greenhouse gas regulations for the petroleum sector, but has not yet delivered.

Harper sent a letter last August to Obama proposing “joint action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas sector” if it would help win approval of the Keystone XL project.

Another major cross-border item near the top of the ambassador’s agenda is construction of a new Detroit-Windsor international bridge. Canada has agreed to fund the project, with costs recouped from toll revenues over a number of years.

The United States government is responsible for the costs of an inspection plaza on the Detroit side, but has failed to deliver the money. A group of construction, business and labour associations in the U.S. recently sent a letter to Obama urging him to resolve the $250-million funding requirement for the customs plaza.

Heyman insisted the bridge is a priority for the United States.

“Commerce is a priority. Infrastructure in moving goods and services and people are really important. The quality of that infrastructure is very important, so the newer the infrastructure, the better the infrastructure, that’s the better the commerce. So we’re supportive of that,” he said.

“We are very supportive of the bridge.”

The ambassador also said he expects Obama to visit Canada at least one more time before the end of his presidency, with Canada hosting the next North American Leaders’ Summit, although no date has been set.

Bruce Heyman, a 33-year veteran of Goldman Sachs from Chicago, who presented his letters of credence to the governor general Tuesday. Heyman becomes his country’s 23rd ambassador to Canada.

Why did he get the job?

Heyman and wife Vicki are from Chicago (where President Barack Obama started his political career ), and raised more than $1.1-million for Obama in 2011 and 2012. Obama’s last ambassador, David Jacobson, was also from Chicago.

At Goldman Sachs, Heyman served as managing director of the Private Wealth Management Group.

What does he say about his career so far?

He told the Chicago Tribune in a 2009 interview that his experience recruiting at Goldman taught him “the value of over communication … you’ve got to communicate, communicate, communicate to the clients, to your team, to the leadership of the firm.”

So, does he communicate?

Barely arrived in town, the Heymans have already been making the rounds in Ottawa, showing up, for instance, at the Politics and the Pen black-tie dinner in Ottawa last week. They also know the value of social media, apparently. Find them at:

@BruceAHeyman, and Vicki Heyman at @VShey.

The two recently released a video saying how much they were looking forward to working in Canada, and trying out a few phrases in French.

They’ve already posted pictures to Twitter – the prayer book Heyman was sworn in on, for instance, and a selfie with Canada’s U.S. ambassador, Gary Doer.

They sound nice. What could possibly go wrong?

These are tricky times for Canada-U.S. relations. Within months, Obama is expected to decide the fate of the $5.4-billion Keystone XL pipeline project, which would transport 830,000 barrels of oil a day, including from Alberta’s oilsands and North Dakota’s Bakken formation, to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Another item atop the agenda is a new Detroit-Windsor international bridge. Canada has agreed to fund the project, with costs recouped from toll revenues over a number of years.

The United States is responsible for an inspection plaza on the Detroit side, but has failed to deliver the funding.

–With files from the Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News and the Canadian Press

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